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Monday, May 6, 2019

"Freedom" by Betheni A



     Sophomore year. Yeah, even the word itself sounds ridiculous. “Sophos” meaning wise in Greek and “Moros” meaning fool. I guess you could say it was true, or at least in my case you’d definitely say it was fitting. Sophomore year: the transitory year between being a newborn highschool teenager or what we used to consider a “real” teenager back then at the age of 15, and the matured junior class. Not the kind you saw stuck in middle school P.E., the ones relishing in the fact that they were finally a foot taller than the rest of their peers who’d defined their entire universe as the space between the outlined chainlink school gates and the niche part of social media that the likes of “O2L” and One Direction inhabited. The age where you were stuck between, watching the real, responsible, independent, all-knowing “adults” of the upperclassmen focus on things like college and job applications. Sometime around April after about 6 months of driver’s education training and countless car rides where I wished my dad would just Let. Me. Drive. I had finally passed the test and got my license. Then I had an idea; I would convince my dad to let me borrow the car and I’d pick up any of my friends who weren’t busy and we would... do... something... or whatever. I’m sure you can imagine how that conversation went... Surprise! He said yes! Thirty minutes later and I was ready, no  We were ready to take on the world. With my friend Jacobo sitting in the passenger of my aunt’s 4Runner, and about a quarter tank of gas we set off into the winding roads of Inland Empire suburbia with nothing but a dream (the dream was having a working aux) and about an hour of daylight. The sun was
shining as we crawled past Windrows elementary and the falling leaves of the giant, swaying trees along the road. Cobo had Humble by Kendrick blaring out of his phone’s speakers on the dash and after a few minutes I had finally relaxed into what driving without supervision was like. We didn’t have anywhere to go , no plan or goal in mind. We were existing and seeing life pass by and passing life by at a cool 20 miles per hour. I did my best to keep my eyes on the road and away from my friend’s overly enthusiastic front-seat-restrained-by-a-seatbelt dancing. It felt so freeing and although we were in a metal death trap moving faster than we’d be able to run I felt safe and for the first time that year I saw a future for myself, a future where I could be on my own and be okay. Eventually we decided to drive to a gas station and look for an aux cord. The muffled iphone speakers were definitely not cutting it, and as we were both on this ride if we split on the aux we’d both be able to enjoy it. So we gathered up the crumbled dollar bills and loose change and walked out of the Chevron with a flimsy clearly-made-to-break cord but it felt like we’d finally got what we needed to make our sophomore adventure perfect. Turns out, we didn’t even know where to plug it in and by the time we found it it was time to go home. Although that aspect of our drive was completely anticlimactic it’s my favorite part of that day. I’d never been out of my house without supervision, without a ride to and from my destination, or without a detailed plan for what I was doing. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was with one of my favorite people, if it was the weather and the birds chirping, or if it was the freedom of being in control of where I wanted to go and having the means to go there. At the time I didn’t realize it but I was creating one of my most memorable and favorite memories. That day I learned that spontaneity had a place in my life, that the best memories can be completely unplanned, and that I was happier when I was able to make my own decisions and experience the
world outside of my parents’ house. It was significant because from then on the way I viewed myself and what I was capable of, what I was capable of making my future into, no longer seemed like a fantasy. I waited 16 years to have that freedom, and if I held on there was only more of it out there to experience. Breathing was easier knowing there was a future me out there with only herself to answer to and the whole world to explore, I just had to wait a little longer to take that drive.

22 comments:

  1. You are a very talented writer, it seems natural. This piece was so real and relate-able and the way it was written just made me visualize it all from the start to end. Great job!

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  2. Bethany, this story is inspiring and really shows what life is about. Your description of what the first thing to do after you get your license is one of the movies. You did it right the first time and that is great how you found yourself through this experience. The details that you included are great and really emphasizes your emotions in that moment.

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  3. I really enjoyed this. You did an amazing job at describing this transition stage that we high school students face as we change from underclassmen to upperclassmen-you captured my attention when describing the interesting root words of a sophomore and made me more interested in reading this. Your narration nailed it capturing the whole driving experience as well as the fun times with your friends, even if it didn't go as anticipated. Nicely done!

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  4. I love this !! We are all remembering our first time driving alone or will drive alone soon and this is exactly how it feels like. It's a desire that is so powerful that it changes our view in the world. We want more of it. Thank you for sharing this!!

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  5. Thanks for sharing a personal memory that you cherish with the reader. I enjoyed the imagery you implemented into your writing and speaking for myself I took some parts of your piece as metaphorical. The reason why is because one of lessons I got from your piece was that if you can find time to forget your worries and spend time with those you hold close to you, it can feel like time is endless. Good job bEthANi

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  6. Beth, this is an amazing post! I felt the same exact way when I first got my license. Great job -Angelina Lim

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  7. I really enjoyed reading your experience of what's it like to go somewhere far away from parent supervision as I understand what's it like to not be watched by your parents when you're far away. Your description of your experience felt real since you keep describing on how you want to let loose and feel free. I really am glad you find the future you're looking for and I hope your future becomes even more brighter.

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  8. This was truly an amazing story and a great read. It made a mundane outing feeling like the time of your life, and I was able to experience the excitement and thrill that you felt because of your organic imagery. I especially enjoyed your intro when you broke down the awkward transitional state of sophomore year! It really grasped my attention.

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  9. This is great! This was an amazing way to describe the transition in high school we all make. Used so much detail to describe the new found freedom you got with driving without supervision. Thank you for sharing this great memeory!

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  10. I really enjoyed reading your description of the transition between underclassmen to upperclassmen. I appreciate you sharing this personal memory and the detail made it feel more sincere and personal. The writing style was sophisticated yet natural. Good job!

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  11. Betheni, I love this post, it is so indicative of the stereotypical high school experience, but with your own personal twist on it. I also enjoyed how you described your first taste of freedom, and how you included elements to show what is important to you: music, good friends, and ultimately independence. Overall, I love how simple yet profound your writing is, and I'm so glad I got to read a little bit of what goes on in your amazing mind:)(along with Humble<3333333333333333)

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  12. Betheni, I love your piece and use of imagery it is amazing. Some of the best moments in life are the ones you don't plan for as long as your with your people amazing and memorable things can happen. Enjoy your freedom and the experiences it brings.

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  13. Betheni, your writing style is so compelling and fluid that I completely forgot I was brought here to fulfill an assignment. You have a way with words that simply captures the mind and takes it to some inconceivable places and I am so grateful to constantly be in the presence of your witty yet enlightened perspective on life. I hope you never put your pen down and continue expressing the effortless beauty hidden in that big ol' head of yours. <3

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  14. Beth,
    You are such a telented writer because I felt like I was there with you as I read this piece. I completely know the feeling that you described in the story and I think I still feel it every time I get in my car, to a certain degree. I think that your focus on something that could be seen as trivial is what really made it resonate with me. I know that the piece was relatively short but I felt like it had taken much longer- in a good way.
    Great job!

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  15. Betheni I absolutely loved this! I could relate so much to it because there really is nothing as therapeutic as just driving around with some cool people. I hope you have more amazing and spontaneous plans in the future. -Sofia Canseco

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  16. Hello Betheni, I really like your perspective of sophomore year. I really like on how you described it as a journey of gaining independence. I also felt the same when I got my license later that year which I finally felt a sense of independence which I was able to make my own decisions. Furthermore, I really like on how the piece was written. I really like the style of the piece, especially the short sentence which allows the tone of the the sentence to be conveyed. When reading the piece, I see and feel the emotions of your journey which I found amazing. Overall Good Job and Thank you for Sharing!
    Jean Andre Molina Period 4

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  17. Betheni I loved this piece! I appreciate how down to earth your writing style is and how your retelling lacks superficiality. Your ability to set the piece up with the explanation of the word sophomore and the description of the year being transitional really draws your audience in. You did a fantastic job!

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  18. This was super heavy on the imagery. It's easy to imagine ourselves in your place, not only because its realtlbe, but all the sensory imagery put us right there in your shoes. I think I can honestly say that my sophomore was one of the more stressful years of my life, because of the whole driving thing. But i love your portrayal of a simple drive around the block existing as as a kind of escape. I love the idea that the best things that happen to us are completely unplanned. Amazing job!

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  19. This is such a relatable piece, I can totally remember my first time driving by myself, it was the same day I passed my driving test that I had to drive a car home from Chino by myself. I can relate to the feeling you had when you got that freedom!-Leslie

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  20. Hi Bethani, I really loved your story. I could really relate to what you said about having cool friends being therapeutic. I was so excited when I first got my license and I felt so free because I could finally do things on my own. Great Job!!

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  21. You are an extremely talented writer. There was a flow to this entry that seemed very natural. Your use of imagery conveyed to the audience the freedom that you craved extremely well. Thank you for sharing your personal experience.
    - Brooke Leslie

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  22. I actually never realized the connection to each root word, and I am honestly dumbfounded on how cool that is. As soon as i read that in your piece i instantly liked it and enjoyed it the whole way through. Great job Betheni!!!

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